 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Matthew Sierra (1957-08-11)August 11, 1957 (age 68)[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Bill Alfonso[1] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 161 lb (73 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Extreme Championship Wrestling |
| Debut | 1979[2] |
| Retired | 2021 |
William Matthew Sierra (born August 11, 1957), better known by hisring nameBill Alfonso, is an American formerprofessional wrestlingreferee andmanager, currently performing forMajor League Wrestling (MLW), where he serves as the manager ofMatthew Justice. He achieved his greatest success inExtreme Championship Wrestling in the mid-to-late 1990s. He is well known for thewhistle that was almost always hanging around his neck, which he blew constantly during his wrestlers' matches.[3]
Alfonso refereed his first match inTexas at the age of 21. He was the official in achain match betweenThe Sheik andTerry Funk.[4] Shortly thereafter, he took on a regular role as a referee inChampionship Wrestling from Florida.[1] He is seen on footage from 1983 as an "NWA official" sitting in theconference room as the main event ofthe first Starrcade betweenHarley Race andRic Flair is being announced byBob Geigel. He then worked in every major American promotion, includingWorld Championship Wrestling and theWorld Wrestling Federation, where he was a referee forThe Undertaker andGiant Gonzalez (who Alfonso was an agent for) match atWrestleMania IX.[1]
Alfonso made his debut in Extreme Championship Wrestling In May 1995 atEnter the Sandman as a "troubleshooting referee".[1] Introduced byShane Douglas, he angered many ECW fans with strict enforcement of the rules and disqualifications of wrestlers for such ECW traditions as using steel chairs as weapons.[4] In this role, he engaged in afeud with ECW founderTod Gordon that resulted in several wrestling matches.[4]
Alfonso was then stripped of his refereeing duties and took on the role ofTaz's manager and helped him on a winning streak that lasted over a year.[1] In the midst of Taz's feud withSabu, however, Alfonso turned on his charge and aligned with Sabu.[5] In this role, he performed more than the usual duties, as he actually managed Sabu's finances.[4] Rob Van Dam later took on Alfonso as a manager and formed atag team with Sabu.[6] Alfonso also led Van Dam to thelongestECW World Television Championship reign in the history of ECW.[7] In September 1997 atAs Good as It Gets, Alfonso foughtBeulah McGillicutty with this match becoming infamous because Alfonso lost 1/3 of the blood in his body according toPaul Heyman.
Alfonso returned to the WWE (the former WWF) and was at the 2005 ECW One-Night Stand managing Sabu and standing in the ring with RVD while RVD delivered a shoot style promo. Alfonso returned at ECW One-Night Stand 2006 afterRob Van Dam won theWWE Championship, as he celebrated with him and the rest of the then-ECW Roster.
On August 8, 2010, Alfonso took part inTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling's ECW reunion show,Hardcore Justice, managing bothRob Van Dam and Sabu during their match against each other.[8] On the following edition ofTNA Impact!, the ECW alumni, known collectively asExtreme, Version 2.0 (EV 2.0), were assaulted byA.J. Styles,Kazarian,Robert Roode,James Storm,Douglas Williams andMatt Morgan ofRic Flair'sFourtune stable, who thought they didn't deserve to be in TNA.[9][10]
Since the closing of ECW, Alfonso has appeared in several independent promotions. He worked one match inXtreme Pro Wrestling as a referee.[1] He has also worked in Elite Wrestling Entertainment as a referee and a manager,[1] as well as managing wrestlers in Squared Circle Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Unplugged.[1] In May 2007, he made his first appearance with Women's Extreme Wrestling, where he serves as a manager and ascommissioner.[1]
On December 18, 2021, Alfonso wrestled against Ziggy Haim in an intergender match for Absolute Intense Wrestling in Cleveland, Ohio, in which Haim won.[11]
He lost to former ECW foeTod Gordon at Battleground Championship Wrestling in Philadelphia on December 17, 2022.[12]
On April 5, 2024, Alfonso defeatedJoel Gertner at Battleground Championship Wrestling in Philadelphia.
In October 2002, fellow managerMissy Hyatt sued Alfonso in a case televised onJudge Mathis. She accused Alfonso of damaging herPorsche and was awarded $500. Alfonso also had other run-ins with the law, being arrested for a stolen rental vehicle in Georgia, DUI and possession of cocaine in Tampa, violation of probation and testing positive for heroin. Alfonso served jail time in Tampa for the vop charges. He also found himself in trouble with the Tampa police for other charges throughout the early 2000's contributed from a heroin addiction.[1]
